Bible Strands
Micah 1:9
For her wound is incurable; it has reached even Judah; it has approached the gate of my people, as far as Jerusalem itself.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The prophet Micah delivers a declaration of judgment to the people of Israel and Judah, speaking immediately after his own lament and before issuing specific instructions to nearby towns. The moment captures the transition from prophetic warning to the imminent arrival of an invading army.
The words — אֲנוּשָ֖ה ('a.nu.Shah) translates literally as "incurable," denoting a wound that defies medical repair. נָגַ֛ע (na.Ga') means "it has reached," marking the physical advance of the disaster toward its target.
The thread — The advance of a foreign army against Judah is detailed in Isaiah 8:7, which describes the Euphrates floodwaters of Assyria approaching the land. The historical execution of this invasion is recorded in 2 Chronicles 32:1, where Sennacherib marches against Judah's fortified cities. The theme of God's presence accompanying destruction but preserving His people appears in Jeremiah 30:11.
Why it lands — The text states that the wound is incurable and has physically reached Judah and Jerusalem, establishing a clear geographic progression of judgment. It requires the reader to acknowledge that the warning is not abstract but is actively closing in on the named communities.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 30:11 For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD. Though I will completely destroy all the nations to which I have scattered you, I will not completely destroy you. Yet I will discipline you justly, and will by no means leave you unpunished.”
- 2 Chronicles 32:1 After all these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, intending to conquer them for himself.
- Isaiah 8:7 the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—the king of Assyria and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks.
- Jeremiah 15:18 Why is my pain unending, and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? You have indeed become like a mirage to me—water that is not there.
- Micah 1:12 For the dwellers of Maroth pined for good, but calamity came down from the LORD, even to the gate of Jerusalem.
- 2 Kings 18:9 In the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign, which was the seventh year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it.
- Isaiah 1:5 Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep rebelling? Your head has a massive wound, and your whole heart is afflicted.
- Isaiah 3:26 And the gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground.
- Isaiah 10:28 Assyria has entered Aiath and passed through Migron, storing their supplies at Michmash.
- Isaiah 37:22 this is the word that the LORD has spoken against him: ‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises you and mocks you; the Daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head behind you.